Education for healthcare professionals

This page gives information about our online educational content. This includes digital resources such as Blood Essentials, as well as e-learning modules and the non-medical authorisation of blood components (NMA) course.

You can also access supporting resources and information about educational events on the topic of patient blood management and blood transfusion.

Blood Essentials

Blood Essentials is the key transfusion education and reference tool for transfusion practitioners. It supports you to establish your knowledge base and assists all healthcare professionals involved in blood transfusion.

It replaces our previous resources for new and experienced transfusion practitioners, 'A Drop of Knowledge' and 'A Wealth of Knowledge'.

Download Blood Essentials (PDF 12MB)

Give your feedback on Blood Essentials

Events and training resources

Blood Transfusion Education and Discussion Group

The Patient Blood Management team hosts the Blood Transfusion Education and Discussion Group (BTEDG), a monthly online education and discussion event.

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Find out more on the NBTC website

National Blood Transfusion Committee events

The National Blood Transfusion Committee (NBTC) facilitates education events for healthcare professionals.

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Find out more about NBTC events

Transfusion Training Hub

The Transfusion Training Hub on the NBTC website is designed to support education and training for all healthcare professionals working within blood transfusion.

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Go to the Transfusion Training Hub

e-Learning

Information about our e-learning modules is listed below. You can access these through the following platforms:

Blood Transfusion Training

The modules available on this topic are:

Essential transfusion practice
Good manufacturing practice (GMP)
Consent
Transfusion reactions
Blood components
Cell salvage
Introduction to safer transfusion laboratory practice
Use of anti-D immunoglobulin in pregnancy

Haemovigilance modules produced by Serious Hazards of Transfusion (SHOT) are available on the NHSBT Learning Zone.

Anaemia

Maternal anaemia

Blood component use in major haemorrhage

Non-medical authorisation of blood components course

The non-medical authorisation of blood components (NMA) course is for regulated healthcare professionals. It provides the supporting theory required to gain competence to authorise the transfusion of blood components.

Completion of the course is not evidence of competence; the competence of any practitioner cannot be confirmed by NHS Blood and Transplant or Royal College of Nursing.

The cost is £300.

View dates and register for the NMA course

Use the following resources for more information about the NMA course:

Clinical decision-making and authorising blood component transfusion: A framework to support non medical healthcare professionals on the JPAC website
Examples of regional policies and competency documents on the National Blood Transfusion Committee website:
- North East & Yorkshire Regional Transfusion Committee
- Midlands Regional Transfusion Committee

Videos

The following videos provide important information for transfusion practitioners:

Share your feedback

If you have any questions or suggestions about the resources on this page, please email the Patient Blood Management team.

Page last reviewed: 10 February 2025